


Girls

by LesbianMess



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, F/F, More tags to be added, Trans Character, Trans Female Character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-19
Updated: 2016-05-01
Packaged: 2018-06-02 11:23:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6564289
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LesbianMess/pseuds/LesbianMess
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The story of two long separated friends and how their reunion causes them to rethink what they know about each other and themselves. </p><p>also jefferson doesn't exist, because yknow. fuck that guy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. max caulfield

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning for violence + slurs at the end of the chapter
> 
> thanks james and my gf for reading through

It was August when Maxwell Caulfield arrived at Arcadia Bay's own Blackwell Academy for the first time. It was not however the first time he'd been to Arcadia Bay. The small town in Oregon had been his home up until 5 years ago, when he moved with his family to Seattle. Max didn't dislike the new city, it was a great place for an aspiring photographer to grow up, but with a full scholarship to the academy of his dreams he couldn't pass up the chance to move back.

Then it was October and Max's time back in Arcadia Bay was going smoothly. He'd made a few friends already, mainly a cute scientist in training named Warren, and was doing a stand-up job of keeping his grades above water. Of course the photography course with Mrs. Adams was more than he'd ever hoped for. She was a master at what she did and attending one of her galleries years ago was what inspired Max to try as hard as he did. Mrs. Adams was the first reason he wanted to go to Blackwell. The second reason... was a lot more complicated.

When he moved up north he left a boy behind. He was a friend. No, he was Max's best friend. He was the most important person in Max's life. But Max made a terrible mistake and even after 5 long years he still couldn't deal with the consequences. No matter how he so desperately wanted to, he couldn't say a word to that friend once he had left. And even now that he was back he couldn't do it, and it got harder and harder every day that went by. Some days it was just a small regret in the back of his head, but most days it thr-

**vrrt vrrt**

The muffled buzz of Max's phone was like music to his ears; He cared about his old friend but that wasn't a problem he wanted to deal with today. He checked his texts as he funneled out into the hallway with the rest of his photography classmates.

 **Warren:** Hey Max, can you get my flash drive?  
**Warren:** I need some info. And space.  
**Max:** Yeah, gotta grab it from my room.  
**Warren:** Ill meet you in the lot.  
**Warren:** Looking cool.  
**Warren:** You'll see.  
**Max:** My camera will be ready.  
**Max:** See you shortly.  
**Warren:** I hope so.

Max dropped his phone back in his bag as he walked up to the dorms, while he tried to avoid tripping over anyone or getting caught up in the middle of an argument. The boys building smelled of piss and the walls were covered in graffiti. On one door in particular there was a large poster of Warren's face scribbled over with a pink marker; the caption at the bottom read "WARNING: Beta Phag Alert." Max made sure to reach up and tear the poster from the wood.

"Ugh, so mature. Nathan Prescott is such an asshole," he muttered, balling up the print and dumping it in the trash.

Finally making it to his dorm he tossed his bag on the edge of the bed and walked over to his desk, pocketing Warren's flash. The room was lightly decorated, with his acoustic guitar next to his bed and Lisa over in the corner. She was just a small houseplant that his mother had given him as a good luck, but he felt that as long as she had someone to take care of her and help her discover herself then she could be so much more. 

However the most striking feature in the plain little dorm was his photo wall. Max had always been drawn to old analog gear rather than digital tech, and the Polaroid shots pasted all along the wall in a deliberately uneven grid were his biggest testament to that. He collapsed into his bed and looked up at all the photos, some wonderful memories and some terribly embarrassing ones, and he just sighed.

It was good work, he had to admit that to himself, but all he could think of now was the terrible photo contest coming up that he was entirely too anxious to enter. There was nothing to lose but just the thought of competing against spoiled rich photographic geniuses like Victoria Chase or Nathan was enough to send a shiver of anxiety down his spine.

**vrrt vrrt**

**Warren:** I don't mind waiting out here forever.  
**Warren:** I love this parking lot.  
**Warren:** I can count all the cars...  
**Max:** The more I txt the longer I take.  
**Max:** On my way.  
**Warren:** Bye

Max rolled out of bed with a thud, pulled himself up off the floor, and slung his bag over his shoulder. _I'd better hurry up._

The walk over to the lot was as uneventful as Max had hoped. Hopping down the steps he glanced around looking for Warren. A large rusty truck was parked across the handicapped spots right next to a dirty RV in the corner. Then he found what he was looking for across the lot; Warren was waving over to him while sitting on the hood of an old car, Max didn't know enough about cars to tell a model or a year, with a license plate that said THXFLS. 

"What up Max? How are you?" Warren pulled Max into a hug as he got closer.

"Hey Warren, here's your flash. Thanks." Max let go and pulled the usb drive out of his pocket.

Warren took it and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "No problem." Turning around he gestured at the car, "Check out my new wheels."

"Cool. Very old school."

"1978 to be exact. Now we can go to the drive-in!" Warren flashed him a smile, "There's one in Newberg, just sixty miles away!"

Max shook his head. "Warren you're in the wrong ti..."

His words trailed off as a voice he recognized all too well snarled behind his back, "Max Caulfield, right?" Max flinched and looked over his shoulder; Nathan Prescott was pissed off and stomping in their direction. "A little birdy told me that you ripped up the fucking poster I made _him_." He shoved Warren to the side as he said that last word and backed Max into the hood of the car. 

"I might have thrown it out, yeah." Max looked down at his feet, trying to avoid eye contact.

"Do you have any idea who the fuck you're dealing with?" Nathan took a step closer. "I bet you think you're real tough, huh? Trying to defend your little boyfriend's honor?"

"He's not my..."

"Don't fucking cut me off!" He was shouting at this point and slammed his fist down on the hood of Warren's car. "Listen up faggot; I'm Nathan Prescott and I own this fucking school." 

Max flinched, almost wishing he could go back in time and leave the poster where it had been. He knew Warren didn't deserve that but Max didn't want to make enemies with a bully like this.

"So if you wanna make it through the rest of the year you'd better remember that." Nathan cracked his knuckles and started to swing at Max.

"Get away from him, dude!" Warren reacted fast enough to push Nathan away from Max but not fast enough to avoid getting Nathan's fist colliding into his jaw. He fell back onto the pavement as Nathan walked over and jammed his foot into the boy's side.

"HEY! Leave him alone!" Max went to pull him away but Nathan just swung around and grabbed him by the throat.

"Nobody tells me what to do. Not you, Not my parents, n-"

A streak of bright blue shot past his eyes and suddenly the hand on Max's neck was gone. He took a few steps back and looked down; Nathan was on the ground with a punk girl Max had never seen before holding him down. 

"What the fuck." Nathan's eyes went wide when he looked up and saw who was hovering over him. He tried to swing his arms but she had him pinned well. "Get. OFF. ME, BITCH."

"Oh come on, our first reunion in months and that's all daddy's little boy has to say?" She spat on his cheek and dug her knee further into him. "Why don't you just call him and have him drag me off you?"

"Don't bring my family into this. You shouldn't even BE here after I got your punk ass expelled." He tried headbutting her, still with no luck. "Now get the fuck off me before I have you arrested you fucking tra- FUCK!" 

The blue haired girl had bashed her head into his face, and she'd made sure it connected. "Shut your fucking mouth." Blood started pooling under his nose as tears welled up in his eyes. He was scared now, but still trying to put up a fight. She looked up from him to the boy standing behind her. She stared for a few seconds, not completely trusting what she was seeing, before her jaw dropped and she gasped, "Max?"

"...Who are you?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so i haven't seriously written anything in almost 7 years but i came up with some really self indulgent ideas with my girlfriend and decided i had to make it happen. next chapter is more divergey and coming soon
> 
> and also cliffhangers


	2. they just never call me it's not like they're dead

“...Who are you?” Max looked down at the blue haired girl in front of him. He'd definitely never met anyone who looked quite like her, but she sure knew who he was.

She didn't respond though, either she didn't hear him or she was choosing to ignore the question. Something had caught her eye and in a flash she was off of Nathan and back on her feet. 

“Shit, shit we need to go. Now.”

“Uhh-" Max followed her line of sight and saw David Madsen, the academy's security officer, heading towards them. He tried to gauge whether he'd be better off getting caught in a fight on campus or running away with this strange girl, but she had already grabbed onto his wrist and was dragging him towards the rusty truck.

“Don't fucking run away from me!” Nathan was back up now, wiping blood from his face, and following after the pair.

With Madsen and Nathan closing in Max was doing everything he could to not freak out. This was too much for one day. This was too much for one life. But he wasn't panicking, and he couldn't tell why but the hand wrapped around his was grounding him. It felt right and familiar like it was the only thing in the entire world that made sense right now.

It didn't, actually, make any sense at all. In fact, It was probably the one thing that was happening that made the least amount of sense. That still couldn’t stop Max from taking comfort in it. At least until he was grabbed and pulled out of his own head and into the real world.

Nathan had latched onto his hood, but then Max heard a loud whoomph and the crack of bone hitting asphalt. Warren was on top of their bully and waving the two away.

“Get out of here! I've got this.”

“Don't have to tell me twice.” The girl grinned as she pulled Max into the cab of her truck. She had let go of his hand for a few moments while she got the engine running, but she slipped their fingers back together and shot out of the parking lot.

* * *

“Hey Max, breathe. It's okay, we're okay.” They were a few miles off of school property before either spoke, and her lines were smooth and practiced as if she'd spent her whole life calming him down.

“Um. Thanks… For this.” He squeezed her hand gently. “And before.”

“Don't mention it. That asshole had it coming after everything he's put me through.” 

“Oh.”

They sat in silence for another few miles until Max calmed down enough to ask a second time.

“So… Who are you?” He turned towards the window trying not to watch her expression.” You know who I am but I've never met you before.”

“I'm shocked Caulfield.” Her tone was lighthearted but he could tell there was an underlying resentment. “I know you haven't seen me since you left, plus I kinda turned into a smoking hot babe, but I don't know if I should be pissed or pumped that you don't recognize me.”

Max was trying not to throw up right there on the dashboard; he knew where their conversation was going and it wasn't one he was prepared to have.

“I guess I'll introduce myself if I've gotta. Chloe Price at your service. You'll probably remember me better as that brokenhearted boy you abandoned five years ago.”

“I... I'm so sorry. I just…”

“Just what? Just ran off to your fancy hipster city and replaced me with a bunch of artsy hipster friends? Just left me here to fall apart after my dad died?” Chloe pulled her hand from his grasp and lit a cigarette. 

“You're not being fair. I didn't…”

“Maxwell Caulfield you don't get to tell me is or isn’t fair. You know what's not fair?” She flicked ash out the window. “Losing your best friend and not getting a call or a text in five years is not fucking fair.” 

“Do you seriously think you were the only one suffering?” Max's eyes were watering and he was gripping down on the uncomfortable seats. “Do you think I didn't… miss you? I wanted to call you every day I was gone.” Without really thinking about what she was doing, Chloe reached up and wiped the tears from his cheeks.

“...Then why didn't you?”

“Chloe…” Max paused for a moment, repeating the name over in his head. Chloe. Chloe. “Chloe, I was scared. The last thing I did before I left was come out to you, and you freaked out. How was I supposed to talk to you after that?”

“Shit. Max, I'm sorry.” She put out the rest of her cig and wrapped her hand back around his. “I freaked because you were leaving, it wasn't because you told me you were gay. Fuck.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, sorry dude. If it uh…” Her voice trailed off as she tried to find the right words. “Just know I'm like the biggest dyke in Arcadia Bay. So the gay thing is not an issue.”

Max felt their talk was going way smoother than he’d predicted, but he was still trying to wrap his head around how much had changed while he was gone. His best friend was a girl. His best friend’s name was Chloe. And she was really really pretty? 

He’d assumed girls could be that pretty, but he’d never met anyone who stood out quite the way she did. And it wasn't just her blue hair or the way she dressed or the tattoo that was peeking out from under her shirt. Those all added to it, duh, but it was her presence that really caught him off guard.

It was the way she kept adjusting her hair instead of just rolling the window up. It was how beautiful her smile was in spite of her worn and tired teeth. Maybe it was just how much Chloe was her own distinct and confident self. 

Max had never been very fond of his own body; some days he felt too big or his proportions felt off or he just didn't recognize the boy staring back at him in the mirror. But seeing Chloe like this, just seeing her at all, made him feel like things would be turn out...

“Earth to Max?” Her grip around his hand tightened. “Hey dude, you didn't die on me right?”

“Oh sorry, Chloe.” Max shook his head and squeezed hers back. “I kind of zoned there…”

“Really? No shit dude.” Her lips curled into a grin. “I was just asking how your art’s been going.”

“It's been going well! I feel like I really improved while I was gone. Seattle felt like a real city for real artists, but it was a little overwhelming...” Max reached into his bag to grab a few of his photos, but noticed that his camera was falling apart. “Broken? Oh man, are you cereal?” 

“Wow, haven’t heard that one in a while.”

“Not everything changes. Except my camera has officially taken a shit.” He sighed and dropped it back into the bag. “I guess I crushed it when Nathan pushed me into Warren’s car.”

“Damn, shit sucks man. My step-dick has a boatload of tools though, maybe you can fix it in my place?”

“No offense but I need very specialized tools for a camera like this.”

“Wow nerd alert.” She flashed him a grin. “But If you're looking for a specialized tool then I've got just the one for you. Might be too big though.” 

“CHLOE!” His cheeks were flushed bright red and he had to turn his face towards the window to hide his embarrassment, more than glad that they were pulling up to her house.

“Welcome home Max.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapters will probably get longer as I get back into the swing of things. 
> 
> ch 3 coming soon


	3. they must have seen it in your eyes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning for misgendering and bad parent shit halfway through

“Hey.” Chloe was leaned back on her bed, bowl in hand, blowing smoke rings above her old friend’s head. Max was in the zone, hunched over and working on his old polaroid at her desk, but as much fun as it was to watch him tinker away she wasn’t about to spend her whole night in silence. “Any luck there, Super Max?”

“Ugh no, this camera is totally busted.” He’d already spent half an hour messing with it and was starting to look distraught. “I don't think there's any way I could fix it.”

“That's rough buddy.” Slowly an idea formed in the back of her head; Max’s birthday had just passed, right? She could always- wait would that be too impulsive? She still wasn’t sure whether she could trust him, and maybe once she drove him home he’d go back to avoiding her. Of course, he did made a point of changing her name in his phone and snapping a new contact photo, but couldn’t that have all just been for show? Chloe had never been able to believe in anyone else in this garbage town, why would Max be any different? She shook her head. This was Max she was thinking about, he didn’t have a malevolent bone in his body even if he was a neglectful shithead. “You’ll be fine dude, just take a break and go back to it later.”

“Thanks… Even if I don’t get it, I still probably needed a break.” She watched him expectantly as he got up from the desk hoping he would flop into bed next to her and they could just stare up at the ceiling like when they were kids. He didn’t, instead he sat down awkwardly on the edge of the mattress trying to take up as little space as possible.

Chloe was pissed. Five years was a long fucking time but how was he sitting over there pretending they hadn’t been best friends. Why wasn’t everything just falling into place? She’d imagined this day a million fucking times and none of them went like this. She went back over the day in her head trying to piece together where she’d fucked up, but what if she hadn’t fucked up? What if Max had really replaced her and today was just an awkward encounter he’d hoped to avoid? What if-

 _SHUT. UP. That’s not Max. That’s something you would do. That’s something you DID after he left. Stop pinning all of this on him._ She took another two hits to calm her thoughts. _Just try to go the rest of the night without fucking this up._

“Hey, Chloe?” Max saying her name broke her out of her existential stupor. Chloe had spent so long wanting to hear him say it and it just keeps happening and getting better every time.

“Hm?”

“What happened between you and Nathan?”

Chloe bit down on her lip. “Hm.” She sat silent for a few moments and then looked up at her friend. “What makes you think something happened between me and Nathan?”

“He said something about getting you expelled… And you didn’t really hesitate to knock him off someone you didn’t even recognize.”

“Uhhhhh… Damn, you got me there.” She let out a groan. _So much for not fucking this up!_ “I’ll tell you the abridged version, alright? I came out about being a huge man hating trans dyke like, what, six months ago? Prescock’s a spoiled rich brat and his parents own the school and when they found out about me they didn’t want a crossdressing freak sharing a school with their repressed and abused kid.” Chloe sighed. She felt ever so slightly bad for Nathan since he seemed almost as fucked as she was but that wasn’t an excuse.

“Oh no…” She watched as Max’s expression contorted with disgust and regret until finally he continued, “Chloe I'm so sorry, that's awful. I wish I- I wish I'd been here for you.” She reached over and wiped away the tears that were forming on his face.

“Hey shush, it's whatever. It's in the past, it's not like you could just rewind and take it back. Fuck I probably wouldn't even want you to.” Chloe pushed herself up and sat next to him trying to bridge the space between them. “Anyway maybe they were worried he’d pick up some pointers on being a teen rebel? Maybe he just really hated that I existed? Who the fuck knows. You’ll get the long story when you’re older.”

“Hey! I'm eighteen!” Max huffed and leaned into her. “But that's fine, you don't have to talk about everything that happened if you don't want to.”

“Ugh it's not. It's not that I don't want to? I'd fucking kill to just tell you all the shit I went through but right now I'm just glad you're back. Lemme just savor that for a bit, kay?”

“M’kay Chlo.”

Silence. She used to enjoy it, sitting with Max and not saying fuck all when they were kids. Now though? Now it felt fucking suffocating and she couldn't deal with it. _Fuck it. Impulsivity has never steered me wrong. Except for all three times it has but fuck that noise. No regrets._ She stashed her bowl next to her bed to keep it out of harm's way.

“Hey Max?” Chloe was up and off her bed grabbing something from a shelf before he could respond. “I know it was your birthday last month, and your camera is kind of fucked thanks to my arch nemesis, so I want you to have this.” She shoved an old Polaroid camera into his hands, not quite as clunky as the one he'd been using for years but just as retro, and he frowned. “This was my real dad's camera. He'd be pissed if he knew I was letting it collect dust and at least in your hands I know its powers will be used for good.”

“There's no way I can take this… William-" Chloe cringed as he said the name “-would have wanted you to keep this.”

“No way Max, he would have wanted you to have it. You're an awesome photographer and it'll do me some good to stop taking so many hipster-ass selfies.” She rubbed her chin and quickly added, “Actually, fuck that. How about you celebrate our reunion by snapping a sick pic of me with your new camera.” She slammed a button on her stereo and the room came to life with music.

Max put the camera up to his eye and shot a few pictures of her as she jumped onto the bed and danced her worries away; she grinned at how satisfied he was with what came out. She plucked one from his hands and _wow._ Chloe was usually very confident and never turned down a chance to talk about how hot she was, but the pictures he took made her feel beautiful in a way she never saw herself. She could definitely get used to this.

“C'mon hippy, can't dance? Get your ass up here and shake it with me.” Chloe dropped the picture onto her nightstand then grabbed her friend's wrist to pull him up with her. It took him a moment before he was comfortable and and then they finally started grooving. “I fucking love this song.”

“It's not bad.”

“Man, fuck not bad. This whole album’s the BOMB.” She was completely in the zone.

Two pair danced for what felt like hours, though it was probably closer to twenty minutes. Chloe had been working up the nerve to ask Max if- huh? She heard something downstairs that sounded really close to a slamming door and couldn't tell if she'd imagined it. 

“Are you up there? How many times have I told you to stop blasting that punk shit in my house?” 

“Shit shit shit stepdick is home. Fuck, Max, turn the music off.” Chloe scrambled to make sure her stash was still hidden while Max raced over and cut the power to the Stereo. She got closer to the door and shouted back through it, “Hey it's not even playing I don't know what you're talking about.”

“I'm sick of your attitude, we need to talk. I'm coming up there.”

“Shit.” David was going to to flip when he came up and saw Max there, but she didn't think trying to get him to hide would work either. David never missed anything and his wrath would be so much worse if he found a guy hiding in her closet. “Max just uh. Just hang back I'll deal with this.”

David shoved the door open and started to speak as he scanned the room, “Will-” His voice cut off when his eyes reached Max. “What is he doing here? I hate having strangers in my house.”

“First of all, chill out? He's not a stranger he's my friend. And this isn't your house? I was here first. Now are you gonna stand around and make Max uncomfortable all night or did you want something?” She tried to look as threatening as she could; David scared the shit out of her and she couldn't let him, or anyone, see that side of her.

“Great, another one of your ‘friends’.” David groaned and walked past her towards the window. “I saw you in the middle of a fight in the Blackwell parking lot. Just because I didn’t apprehend you on the spot doesn’t mean you can avoid the consequences, especially after all the trouble you’ve caused that boy.”

“Apprehend me?” Chloe snorted in disbelief, how was he able to say this shit with a straight face? “And he fucking If I hadn’t jumped in Max and his buddy would’ve ended up in the hospital, but that’s not your problem right? Rich dick’s parents sign your checks so fuck all the queer kids in Arcadia Bay.”

“So this is all his fault?” David stepped back and turned towards her friend. “Oh, I recognize you. You’re lucky I didn’t catch you there, that would have screwed up your spotless Blackwell record. I’m sick of you losers always dragging my son do-”

“I’m not your fucking son. I’m not ANYONE’S fucking son.” Chloe had only been trying to look confident and scary before, but now she was livid and ready to rip David’s eyes out. Her hands were balled up in fists with her nails digging straight into her palms, and this was nothing new. Every time he talked to her or about her shit went down like this; She wasn’t surprised but it still fucking hurt. “And I’ll never be your daughter.”

“You’re not being fair. You know I’ve tried to be supportive of… All of this.” He motioned his hands towards her general direction and she sneered back at him. “But you can’t expect me to understand this overnight.”

“Overnight. Overnight? It’s been six months since I got outed and this is the first I’m hearing about any ‘support’ from you.” Chloe kicked a small box into the wall. If she’d been paying any attention to it she would have noticed the photos of her and another girl that spilled out near Max’s feet. If she had been looking at anything other than David she would definitely have noticed Max pick some of them up and examine them. But Chloe wasn’t paying attention and she didn’t notice either of those events, so she continued her almost practiced lines. “Where was all this support when I was getting harassed at school? Where was all this support when I got fucking expelled?”

“You were doing drugs on campus soldier. You got caught with grass, none of that had to do with any of This.”

“I-” Chloe froze. She couldn’t just tell the head of blackwell security that everyone on campus was doing drugs, and she definitely couldn’t just tell him that before everything went down she was getting harder stuff from Nathan. Chloe was a lot of things in her own mind, most of them undeniably bad, but she wasn’t a rat. She slumped down on the bed next to Max, who quickly scooted the photos back towards the box, and continued, “Whatever, I’m done. Just- Just get out.”

She was running out of fight. She knew every conversation would end the same way but she desperately wanted it to be different. Maybe if she fought him on it one more time he’d finally get it? But she couldn’t do that right now, Max deserved better.

“We’ll continue this later when you’ve had a chance to calm down.” David turned away from the kids and walked back out of the room. He glanced back at Chloe and added “I’m sorry William.”

“THAT’S NOT…” Her voice trailed off as she realized he had already closed the door behind him and made his way downstairs. “Fuck.”

Max leaned into her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. “Chloe… Chloe Chloe Chloe… I’m so sorry. You don’t deserve any of this.”

“Fuck, Max. No fuck your apologies, I should be sorry. You’re back in my life for a couple hours and you already know my whole sob story and broken home bullshit.” She paused to try and compose herself and steady her breathing. “I just. I used to love that I was named after my old man. It always made me feel like I had potential, like I had something I could live up to. But now? Just hearing it reminds me of all my fuckups and how disappointed he’d be if he were still around. It fucking sucks.”

“No… Chloe he would never have been disappointed in you.” Max tightened his arms around Chloe and looked up at her face. “Wi- Your dad just wanted you to be happy. He would have supported you, I know it.”

“Max… I really miss him.”

“I do too, Chloe.”

“Ugggghhhhhhhhhh,” Chloe stood up to stretch and groaned in discomfort. “That’s enough emotional heart to heart, let’s blow this popsicle stand. I need a change of scenery.” She walked over to her desk and shoved open the window that led to the roof. “C’mon Maxwell, last one down to my truck pays for breakfast tomorrow.”

“Oh you’re on!”

* * *

Chloe got there first, but Max didn’t mind. He would let her win every race and buy her breakfast every day if it meant seeing her smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took a bit longer because I've been trying to focus on illustration a bit over the past week and I did most of the writing while I was at work. I feel like it's getting better but it's still so many years of dust and rust to leave behind


End file.
